


The Bachelor Party

by d2fmeasurement



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 16:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3903574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d2fmeasurement/pseuds/d2fmeasurement
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During Dinesh and Gilfoyle's bachelor party weekend, Jared confesses feelings to Richard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bachelor Party

Richard looked up when Dinesh knocked on his office door.

  
“Come in,” he said.

  
“Hey,” Dinesh said, walking in. “So, Gilfoyle and I figured out what we’re going to do for our bachelor party.”

  
Richard cringed then felt bad about that reaction. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you guys are getting married and glad I get to be a part of it. But, I hate parties.”

  
“Well...we’re not having a bachelor party,” Dinesh said.

  
“Oh thank god,” Richard said.

  
“...we’re having two bachelor parties.”

  
Richard wrinkled his nose miserably.

  
“We felt like it would be weird to have a joint bachelor party as a couple because that kind of takes out the whole wild night of freedom point. So, I’m going to have a party thrown by my cousin Wajeed, which will definitely have all of the trendy shit that I hate, and then Gilfoyle is going to have a party for him thrown by Erlich, which will have all of the trendy shit that he hates.”

  
“Wow, you’re really selling me on both of them,” Richard said sarcastically. “How will I ever choose?”

  
“You won’t. Because Gilfoyle and I both have one very small friend group, so we’ve decided we’re going to have both of the parties in Las Vegas over one weekend so you guys can come to both.” Dinesh could tell that Richard was wondering why he’d be into this idea, so he said, “Listen, I used to hate bachelor parties as much as the next reasonable person, but...in three weeks, I’m going to agree to be married to Gilfoyle forever and I’m scared shitless. So, you, as my friend, are going to come to Las Vegas and get wasted with me.”

  
Richard nodded and said, “Yeah. Of course, man.”

“To Gilfoyle’s last night of freedom,” Erlich said as he held up a shot. Everyone took one.

  
“To the fucked up notion that someone completely willingly marrying someone else is the end of their freedom,” Carla said.

  
Everyone took a shot before Russ said, “I knew if we invited a girl to a bachelor party she’d just kill the night with feminist bullshit.”

  
“She’s my best man,” Gilfoyle reminded him. “And you’re only here because Erlich added you to the guest list without asking me.”

  
Russ laughed and said, “Funny guy. Hey, by the way, you can admit it to me: is Dinesh just marrying you for some kind of green card thing?”

  
“Dinesh has been a citizen almost a decade longer than me.” He held up a shot and said, “To the fact that I need to drink way more to be able to get through my own party.”

  
After everyone drank, Jared said, “You guys are really good at drinking. I’m not sure I can keep up.”

  
“This stuff is harmless,” Russ said as he poured him another drink. “I invested in this liquor company. It’s banging. Come on,” he said, pushing it again Jared’s lips. Jared reluctantly drank it down.

 

 

“Does everyone hate me?” Jared asked, leaning against Richard as they walked down the hotel hallways.

  
“No, no, everyone feels like everyone hates them when they’re this drunk,” he said. “It’s just the alcohol talking.”

  
“Really? No one’s mad at me?”

  
“No. No one could ever be mad at you,” he said.

  
“Did I get too drunk and ruin Gilfoyle’s party?”

  
“That party sucked enough to be un-ruinable, trust me,” Richard said. “Um, do you remember what your room number is?”

  
Jared shook his head. “I’m so sorry!”

  
“It’s okay,” Richard said, doing his best to be the reassuring one for once. “You can just come hang out in my room. It’s fine.” He led him inside and they both sat down on the bed. “Do you feel okay? Are you going to puke?”

  
“I don’t think so. I think I got it all out downstairs,” he said.

  
“That’s good,” Richard said.

  
“Now I’m just sad,” Jared told him.

  
“Yeah, alcohol is kind of a huge bummer sometimes,” Richard said, rubbing his back.

  
“This isn’t like me. Weddings usually make me happy.”

  
“Well, this was a bachelor party. It’s very different from a wedding. And much, much sadder.”

  
“But, it’s not just tonight. This whole thing. I feel like I’m not happy for Dinesh and Gilfoyle. I’m a horrible person.”

  
“Hey, no,” Richard said, rubbing his back some more and hoping that was helping. “Those guys are pretty mean to you so if you’re not that happy for them, that’s understandable.”

  
“No, no, it’s not that. They’re my friends,” he said. “I just...When I first met them they were both in the closet and they were fighting all the time and now just a couple years later, they’re getting married. And it’s all because one day they just decided to be brave enough to be honest about how they feel. And every time they talk about the wedding, this little voice deep inside me reminds me that I will never, ever be that brave. Ever. So, I’m always going to be alone.”

  
“I understand that,” Richard said softly. “I’m the same way. I can’t open up to anyone right in front of me.”

  
“Anyone...right in front of you,” Jared repeated.

  
“Yeah, like, I never really took the plunge with Monica, I think she was hoping I’d be romantic and suggest we break the rules but I didn’t have the courage and now she has a new boyfriend.”

  
“With Monica, yeah,” Jared repeated.

  
“Or anyone,” Richard said. “I mean, any person. I’ve never been the one to ask someone out. I just...wait.”

  
“I feel so sad right now,” Jared told him.

  
“I’m sorry I let you have so many shots,” Richard said.

  
“It’s not your fault,” Jared said.

  
“But, you would’ve protected me from getting that drunk. You always take care of me. I don’t take care of you and it’s not fair.”

  
“It’s okay. I mean, it’s my job to help you.”

  
“Not all of it, right?” he asked. “It’s not all just your job. I mean, I know...I know a lot of people are just nice to me because they want to protect the algorithms in my head, but I didn’t think you were like that.”

  
“I’m not,” Jared said quickly. “I just love taking care of you.”

  
Richard smiled and said, “I love it too.” After a while, he said, “You know, you don’t have to be totally sad about this wedding. Because I don’t think they ever really went out on a limb, I think they just...let themselves become closer and closer until one day it was just obvious and right. I like to imagine that’s what will happen anyway. That I’ll just become best friends with someone until eventually it just naturally...I don’t know. That’s probably too much to hope for.”

  
“Can I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone. I’m so sad,” Jared told him.

  
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Richard said. “Let’s get under the blankets.”

  
Richard helped Jared get his shoes off, then kicked off his own shoes. Once they were under the blankets, Richard reached out to hold Jared’s hand. “No one hates you,” he said. “Everyone likes you. Everyone considers you a friend.”

  
Jared squeezed him tightly.

 

 

When Richard woke up, Jared was walking into the hotel room with trays from the hotel breakfast. “Good morning,” Jared said. “I got everything that’s good for hangovers. Water, coffee, greasy food.”

  
“You’re already back in taking care of me mode,” Richard observed.

  
Jared sat down and said, “Yes. I’m sorry I was a mess yesterday.”

  
“It’s okay. It was nice to let someone else be the helpless one for once,” Richard said. He gulped down some of the water Jared had brought him and then said, “Although if I’m being totally honest, I much prefer you taking care of me.”

  
“Speaking of total honesty, I love you,” Jared said.

  
Richard stared at him.

  
“I’m sorry. I realize I’ve made things very uncomfortable, but recent events have made me feel like the plunge is worth it for the minuscule chance you feel the same way. Anyway, we never have to talk about this again.”

  
“I don’t love you,” Richard said uncomfortably.

  
Jared nodded, trying his best to look like his heart wasn’t breaking.

  
Richard’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, that was...that sounded bad.”

  
“It’s okay. You can’t love me just to be nice.”

  
“I know, I just, I meant to say...I don’t love you, um, yet, but...I have also been having thoughts about you, in that arena. And I’d like to go out sometime.”

  
Jared beamed. Richard smiled back shyly.

  
“There is, um, the small problem of it violating rules about interoffice dating,” he said. “But, as we are currently at a bachelor party weekend celebrating a marriage of two of our employees, that all of the board members of the company are attending, it seems like we are really letting that rule slide. Which in principle I don’t entirely agree with, but...”

  
“But?” Richard asked with a little smile.

  
“Breaking the rules does seem...extremely worth it.”


End file.
